For nothing is impossible with God

On Saturday December 12^th, 2009 I was standing in the kitchen of the apartment I had rented after the divorce began.  It was such a tough time and I was relying heavily upon my parents.  That evening I was talking with my mom and telling her about a verse in scripture that had been on my mind all week. 

In my journal entry dated December 15^th I wrote:

“GOD SPEAKS.  I almost missed it.  Joe G…. from International House of Prayer called me yesterday AM.  We spoke for a while about how it’s been going business-wise and how God has been working at IHOP in people’s lives.  Then I told him about Luke 1:37 as Gabriel said to Mary, “For with God nothing is impossible.”  I told him about how I was talking with my mom on Saturday night and I said to her ‘I am so amazed to think that Gabriel was testifying to Mary.  He stands in the presence of God every day and he knows for sure—nothing is impossible with God.  That is Gabriel’s testimony – he knows because he sees.’  Then the next morning at church pastor Charles’ message was on that scripture and he said ‘Gabriel testifies to Mary.  He stands in the presence of God every day’   WOW!! –WOW!!! He used my exact words.  That is two times I have heard from God!  1. Wait upon the Lord.  2. For nothing is impossible with God.”

I have been clinging to that promise since then.  Jesus also testified to his disciples in Mathew 19 when he was talking about how hard it is for a rich man to be saved (the camel in the eye of a needle).  VS 25 “When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked ‘Who then can be saved?’ VS 26 Jesus looked at them and said ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

I believe!  Thank you for praying and fasting this Saturday with me for our lost loved ones.  I am asking the Lord to heal broken relationships and to bring at least one lost one into His kingdom on Sunday.  I will also be giving thanks for the two victories we had this month.

praying for a particular person

Nov 19

I spent much of the day driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles today.  While I was driving I began to pray and talk out loud to God.  I was thinking about all the people that have been influencing S... and feeling like there was no end to those I could blame.  The Lord corrected me, as He loves each of them too, and what I need to do is forgive them and pray for them.
For some reason my thoughts turned to the things I have learned in my journey with Christ and in life.  I began to think about how the Lord had used numerous people in my life to draw me towards him.  This reminded me of a technique in sales I had some training in and success with. 
The technique is called “The Circle of Leverage.”  When you are trying to put some buying decision pressure upon a certain individual in a typical corporate organization, the method has you do an exercise to determine who your primary decision maker is, and then identify the people whom he or she competes internally for his or her position, the people whom he or she would identify as their superiors, and also the people whom he or she would identify as their immediate subordinates.
The basic principle rests upon a few conditions that most of us have in our work lives and personal lives.  Most of us have people in an equal power position that we are competing with for recognition and advancement.  We have people who we view as having control in our future success or failure, our superiors.  We have people who are subordinate to us who are vying for our positions.  Each of these individuals exerts certain pressures upon how we make decisions in our lives. 
Once you have identified as many of these people as possible, you will send a letter to each of them stating what problem you have identified in their organization, and a brief summary of how you can fix it.  The letter is sent with an innocent sounding tone like “ I am not sure whom would address this problem, so I am sending a copy to Person 1, Person 2 and Person 3…”   Your prospect in seeing this would be motivated by all the internal pressures from each of the persons surrounding him or her, whether perceived or real and would have to take action.  Usually the action you want them take is suggested in the letter with, a request for an appointment. 
I found it interesting as I began to think about the wonderful and persistent way in which the Lord ever kept himself before me as he was drawing me to him.  My parents, were constantly in prayer for me to come to Christ—my superiors.  When S... and I bought our home, the Lord surrounded us with Christian neighbors and friends—my equals.  When P..... needed daycare and pre-school, we found that Westside’s KDO met our needs perfectly—my subordinates (the children).  Each of these exerted pressure upon me to move toward God. 
My thoughts in writing this are being directed to how to pray more effectively for the Prodigal.  I have often prayed for God to sever un-Godly relationships, but think that having been corrected earlier, I should identify the Circle of Leverage around S..., and pray for each of those people to begin to hear the Holy Spirit in their lives and hearts, to pray for their salvation as well and the Holy Spirit’s leading.  Wouldn’t that be amazing and fantastic, if not just one person comes, but many?
So I am sending this off to check myself, that my motives are right and not just my selfish nature and my desire to fix it speaking.  I have an end in mind, but perhaps the Lord is saying “pray bigger.”  I welcome your comments and thoughts

One more of God's comes home!

Dec 5th

Praise God it’s Sunday!  What a fantastic day it has become.  I wanted to send a reminder that this coming Saturday, December 11th is Starving Second Saturday.  I will send out an email again later in the week for preparation.
I am so excited to report what I just witnessed about an hour ago!  I was in Gallup, NM this morning and was able to attend the Gallup First Church of the Nazarene.  It is a small and very warm and friendly church.  During the service, the song leader asked for testimonies and several got up to talk about how great our God is ( I almost chickened out but I am so glad I did not).  Some of them requested prayer for one or more prodigal persons in their lives.  The Holy Spirit seemed to move strongly upon us.
At the close of his sermon the interim pastor used an excerpt from the prodigal son parable and gave an altar call.  Several responded and came forward.  One lady testified after receiving her precious gift that she has been separated from her family (by distance or circumstances I don’t know for sure) and feeling like God has been calling out to her.
Praise God!  My brothers and sisters, God is singing today over a prodigal who has come home today!!! Can you imagine that?  Zephaniah 3:17 says “he will rejoice over you with singing.”  I just am blown away thinking about how it must sound in heaven.   Praise God!

Our First Praise Report!!!

Sent NOV 22

Pastor Pickens shared this with me and I wanted to send it along.  Praise God!!!  It brings immediately to mind Luke 18:1 "... they should always pray AND NOT GIVE UP."

"Jan said their neighbor girl had been in church one time, and then the next week asked the Lord into her life.  She might be about age 12.  It was after your first time of prayer I believe. Her family live on Moonlight road, next to M... family.  If so, they are great party people in their minds at least.  Jan is hoping that the entire family find Jesus.  They are not married, with two children. Jan knows more than I do...."

I know Jan has been praying for that family for a couple of years.  Persistance in prayer pays!!!

Originally sent Nov 12 as preparation for the first Starving Second Saturday

I am grateful for everyone who has given their pledge to fast and pray!  Tomorrow Saturday November the 13th is the first Starving Second Saturday.

Shortly after it became clear that I would have a struggle to keep my family together, I began to desperately call upon the Lord.  One evening in April 2009, after having an argument with my wife I found myself growing angry at God.   I recall being angry and frustrated because I thought that becoming a Christian should have fixed all those problems.  My parents and grounded and faithful friends would all say to me "You have to wait upon the Lord."    I heard that a lot and I was really getting mad because I thought I had waited already.  I was driving in my car to a Sunday evening service and I unloaded on God  " I am sick of people telling me to wait upon the Lord.  I have waited on you!  What does that mean to wait upon the Lord anyway?" 

I was yelling and screaming and absolutely at a new emotional low at that point.  I told the Lord I was going to quit because I blamed Him for not hearing my prayers.  I went in to service that night mad.  I sat through the singing and grumbled the whole time.  That evening our youth pastor Tom was giving the message.  My understanding that the Lord hears our prayers and our grumblings took a giant leap forward that night with Tom's sermon titled "What does it mean to wait upon the Lord?"

I love how God's timing is perfect, even though its still hard to wait.

I will be praying Saturday for a growing list of broken relationships and individuals who are running from Christ.  I will be praying for my prodigal and for those whom I know have a prodigal they are waiting to return.  I am praying that at least one lost person will answer the Holy Spirit's call and will receive salvation Sunday.


Thanks for joining with me for Starving Second Saturday.

Thank you Lord for hearing our prayer.

How it started....

Joel 2:15  "... declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly"

Hi there all.  This is Darel.  As many of you know, I became a born again Christian in November of 2008 after running away for 30+ years knowingly.  I praise the Lord that he has chosen me, a true prodigal, to be part of his kingdom and called me to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus. 
Since I made the decision to become a Christian,  the powers of darkness have risen up against me.  Within 2 months of my decision for Christ, my family and I began to be attacked.  In the last two years I have been through a divorce, a sudden career end, bankruptcy, and homelessness resulting in further separation between me and my family. 
In all of this time, the Lord has been hearing my prayer and responding.  He is teaching me to live upon his provision for each day alone.  God in his great mercy and has seen to it that I have never gone even a single day without my basic needs met.  The Lord has also been instructing me in areas of my heart not given fully to him.  Day by day He is strengthening me emotionally and most importantly, spiritually.
I have been in prayer with many of you over my personal situation and in particular for my lovely wife.  It seems more and more that the Lord has led me to include the marriages of others in my prayers as well.  Almost every week I meet someone who is beginning or in the middle of a divorce or who is feeling the pain of hoping for the return of some prodigal loved one.  I was beginning to think I was a jinx until it dawned upon me that perhaps the Lord just wants me to pray for them and encourage them.
In my crying out to God about feeling so hopeless and defeated, and powerless, he has answered me this month.   After reading some devotions taken from Joel in Joel 2:15 “declare a holy fast,”  the passage has come to me several times in the last month.  I believe the Lord has called me to begin to regularly pray and fast for the sake of broken relationships and lost loved ones.  I believe that this is part of the fruit the Lord has called me to bring forth, and also to engage other brothers and sisters in Christ to share in this important mission.  God intends for us to fight back on our knees.
I need your help!  I am going to begin a fasting and prayer time called (more on the name later), “Starving Second Saturday.”  On the second Saturday of every month, I intend to fast and pray specifically for 2 things and ask you to do the same;
1.       To pray for my prodigal to return, and for the prodigals of others I know to return
2.       That each Sunday following my fast, at least one lost person will give their heart to Christ at my/your church.  We can invite more if we run out. :)
For now, until the Lord changes my schedule I will do this wherever I am at.  During at least one meal time I will set aside that time in prayer and fast for the whole day.  When the Lord allows, I will start to kneel at the altar at Westside for that time. 
I will try to develop a newsletter to remind everyone as well as to offer a place to share in our victory.  I may even get ambitious enough to put up a web site or Facebook page together if we can get enough people involved.
I have made the commitment to do this till my prodigal comes home, or for life if that is the Lord’s will for me.  I would like you to join me. If you cannot make a whole day fasting, commit to prayer those 2 things, and skip or delay a meal.  Let’s do it till the Lord says do something else.  I’ll send out BCC email reminders and a newsletter each month to keep things on track…
 Please send me an email to be added to my mail list at (use the join us link on the page or follow) .   Let me know if you will be joining us in prayer and fasting for Starving Second Saturday each month.   If you can fast…. Please fast and PRAY.
 Also, forward this email to everyone you know… Our God is great and he will pour out his spirit upon us and our loved ones if we seek him.  Feel free to print and publish this request or message for the bulletin (as you mentioned pastor P) or for anyone whom may be interested.
Thanks for your prayerful support. 
Darel